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Nobody Wants to Die

Posted by Jerry Williams on August 30, 2024

A niche genre of storytelling I can’t get enough of is detective noir. Nobody Wants to Die screams—sometimes literally—with detective noir essence. Everything about it, from the dark, rainy visuals to the long, somber horns to the professional voice acting, creates the atmosphere one expects. That a… Read More »

Golden Sun

Posted by Joshua Lindquist on August 30, 2024

Sometimes, it is difficult to describe why a game is fun or what makes it worth playing. You can enjoy your time with it, but putting the game features into words makes it sound like the most basic and boring game ever designed. Teenagers with magic powers who set out to save the world? Yeah, I’ve d… Read More »

Retro Encounter 432 – Dragon Age: Inquisition Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 29, 2024

Trespassers will be contemplated Retro Encounter concludes its eight-month-long playthrough of the Dragon Age trilogy, with a discussion of what’s wrong with the Grey Wardens, what’s worse in the Winter Palace, and much more. Dragon Age: Inquisition was a phenomenon in 2014, and the panel is excited… Read More »

Metaphor: ReFantazio Preview – The First Four Hours

Posted by Scott Clay on August 28, 2024

So what if Atlus took their two flagship series, Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, and smashed them together? Well, you would end up with the game Atlus has been developing for the last six years, the fantastic Metaphor: ReFantazio. And that, my friends, is about to pay off big time as Metaphor: ReFan… Read More »

Metaphor: ReFantazio Developer Q&A

Posted by Scott Clay on August 28, 2024

As part of the Atlus event where we got to play a large portion of Metaphor: ReFantazio (don’t miss my preview of the first four hours with the game!), we also got to participate in a question-and-answer session with a few of the developers. Producer Junichi Yoshizawa, Lead Scenario Planner Yuichiro… Read More »

Atelier Yumia Unveiled, Due Early 2025

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 27, 2024

The recent Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed the newest installment in the Atelier series: Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land. Expected to launch in early 2025, this new game isn’t just coming out for Nintendo Switch—it’s also making its way to PlayStation 5 a… Read More »

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st Announced for 2025

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 27, 2024

We all suspected it was coming, and now we know it’s real. Falcom is working on The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st, a remake of the first Trails in the Sky. The game’s slated to come out on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2025. It was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it in the English Nintendo Direct… Read More »

Tales of Graces f Remastered Releases January 17th, 2025

Posted by Tin Manuel on August 27, 2024

In a surprising turn of events, developer Bandai Namco unveiled Tales of Graces f Remastered at the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. Asbel’s journey back to Ephinea starts on January 17th, 2025, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. Here’s the announcement t… Read More »

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster to Launch March 6th, 2025

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 27, 2024

Konami sure kept us waiting, huh? We finally know exactly when Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars is coming out: March 6th, 2025. This compilation of Suikoden and Suikoden II was originally slated to come out in 2023, but Konami indefinitely delayed it a year ago,… Read More »

Castlevania Dominus Collection Shadowdrops Today

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 27, 2024

The just-concluded Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase delivered a ton of exciting announcements, but few were quite as immediate as Castlevania Dominus Collection, which launches digitally on the Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S sometime today (August 27th). This release exhumes the series’… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 8/25/24

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 25, 2024

In this short and sweet edition of RPGs Coming This Week: two unlikely sequels! We’re unreasonably excited for both of these, and here’s why you should be too! Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club – August 29th (Switch) Who would have guessed that Nintendo would resurrect the Famicom Detec… Read More »

Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht

Posted by Zek Lu on August 24, 2024

Xenosaga Episode I is an enigma of a game—it is a product of its era while at the same time being incredibly ambitious, even by modern standards. Released in early 2002 in Japan and just a year later in North America, it is a spiritual successor to the cult classic Xenogears and a spiritual pr… Read More »

Gestalt: Steam & Cinder

Posted by Dom Kim on August 24, 2024

The first thing that will catch most peoples’ eyes with Gestalt: Steam & Cinder is its flawless polish. It certainly was for me when I booted up the game for the first time. I found gorgeous pixel artwork in every corner of Gestalt’s steampunk world accompanied by some of the smoothest animation… Read More »

RPGs and Emotions: Mental Health Awareness Month Reflections

Posted by Hilary Andreff on August 23, 2024

Mental Health Awareness Month occurs in May, and wow did it pass quickly this year. It hardly seems like enough time for a topic so vital for so many. Beyond this, addressing mental health need not be limited to a specific month, especially when we as a society sorely need to shift our view and way… Read More »

Fairy Tail: Dungeons

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on August 23, 2024

Full disclosure: I hadn’t read or watched anything Fairy Tail until recently. After watching a few episodes of the anime … I still wasn’t a fan. Like many anime series, however, the IP seemingly would lend itself well to a video game. Then again, anime-to-video game adaptations have a mixed record… Read More »

Retro Encounter 431 – Dragon Age: Inquisition Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 22, 2024

An Inquisition that everyone saw coming. Retro Encounter played the first two Dragon Age games in the last nine months, so naturally there would come the time to finish the fight. Dragon Age: Inquisition escalates and expands the conflicts and concepts of the first two Dragon Age games, from t… Read More »

Black Myth: Wukong

Posted by Jerry Williams on August 20, 2024

A Souls-like based on the characters from a historic novel from 16th-century China that has the quality of a AAA title? Try to make me not play this game. Well, you’re too late because I’ve beaten it despite a frustrating final chapter, and I loved it! Most of the time. If you’re a fan of Nioh—and I… Read More »

Random Encounter 303 – Anthropomorphic Crime Fighting

Posted by Jonathan Logan on August 19, 2024

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about some of video game history’s most prolific anthropomorphic animal crimefighters! First up, Jono binge-plays the brand-new remaster of the third season of Telltale Games’ Sam & Max series: The Devil’s Playhouse. Lovingly remastered by Skun… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 8/18/24

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 18, 2024

In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, our low-key summer starts to sizzle with three titles that have generated quite a lot of buzz. I’d rather not waste any time, so let’s just dive in! Black Myth: Wukong – August 20th (PS5, Windows) The gaming industry’s long streak of Journey to the West adap… Read More »

Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon

Posted by Scott MacDonald on August 17, 2024

I don’t envy developers who remake games, especially those that gamers consider landmark, genre-defining masterpieces like Shining Force. Remakes are all about balance: highlight the good, minimize the bad, and carefully add new content that doesn’t pull focus from what made the original special. Th… Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on August 16, 2024

Go ninja, go ninja, go! If you ever wished Hades’ Zagreus had been green, then Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate might be your slice of pizza. Hades, a groundbreaking game as a niche roguelike, was surprisingly a supergiant success, so it’s no surprise there would be attempts to emulate… Read More »

Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis Hands-On Preview – The (Better) Answer?

Posted by Scott Clay on August 15, 2024

See the video version of this preview below to see the game in action! Thanks to the great people at Atlus, I recently had the privilege of trying out a small portion of the upcoming DLC for Persona 3 Reload, Episode Aigis. Episode Aigis is often known by its original name, … Read More »

Retro Encounter 430 – DLC Encounter

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 15, 2024

This episode free with the Podcast of the Year edition Downloadable content used to be a video game luxury, but in 2024 it’s an inevitability. But while day-one patches, frivolous additions, and pay-to-win models are frustrating or bad, sometimes an RPG’s extra content is worth your time and hard dr… Read More »

Dustborn

Posted by Audra Bowling on August 14, 2024

The power of language can be either divisive or unifying. The adventure game Dustborn explores both facets through its compelling narrative, ultimately celebrating words’ incredible power for good even in light of the damage they can just as readily do. You’re probably well aware of the discourse su… Read More »

Visions of Mana Hands-On: A Beautiful Return to Form

Posted by Izzy Parsons on August 14, 2024

Who had the majestic return of the Mana series on their 2024 bingo card? I certainly didn’t. And yet, I’ve spent nearly eight hours with Visions of Mana, and I couldn’t be happier with its direction. Visions of Mana is Mana at its utmost, a game oozing with charm, vibrancy, and an underlying melanch… Read More »

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